Apparatus for making hollow m etal articles



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS JILXMES, OF BRADDOCK, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING HOLLOW METAL ARTICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,895, dated December16, 1890.

Application filed February 24,1890. Serial No. 341,396. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J AMES, of Braddock, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful 1mprovementin Apparatus for Making Ilollow Metal Articles, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing, which is a vertical sectional view ofapparatus embodying my invention.

A is the mold in which the steel ingot is east.

B is the ingot, which is shown in the drawing, not as it is when firstcast in the mold, but after it has been punched.

C is a punch made of any suitable material and operated by the plungerD, working in cylinder E.

F is a round metal plate or stool with a tapered hole in the center forreceiving a refractory plug G, which is held in position by the bar If,so as to close the hole in the stool. The plug G is made of'fire-clay orother refractory material, which being a poor conductor of heat retardsthe cooling of the bottom of the ingot at the middle.

The entire machine, ingot, and mold are carried and supported by asuitable frame J, to which the cylinder E is attached.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The ingot is cast in themold A, and when the outside shell of the ingot has solidified, and whenthe center has become partially solid, the cross-bar II is taken awayand the plug G removed. As before described, the function of the plug isto prevent the too rapid chilling of the middle of the bottom of theingot, so as to retain it in a condition sufficiently soft to permiteasy entrance of the punch; but as the contact of the metal with therefractory plug does chill it to a moderate extent there is formed atthe middle portion of the end of the ingot a thin shell of solidifiedmetal sufficiently strong to prevent the molten interior of the ingotfrom running out or bleeding on removal of the plug. The punch C is thenforced through the center of the ingot, carrying the metal it displacesover the top and through the spout Ii into a suitable vessel, forming inthe ingot a hole and by the resulting lateral compression densifying themetal. The punch C is then removed and the plunger D allowed to fallback to its original position. The punch is now replaced by a largerone, and the operation is repeated,the effect of which is to compressthe metal and to give it greater tensile strength. When the ingotbecomes too cold to work further, it may be reheated in a furnace,replaced in the mold, and the operation repeated as often as necessary.The ingot is then taken out of the mold and finished, in the usualmanner, by forging, turning, or otherwise to the shape desired. Themachine maybe used either in a horizontal or vertical position.

The punch C may be operated either with a powerful screw or by hydraulicpressure.

I claim- In apparatus for making hollow steel articles, the combinationof the mold, a non-heatconducting plug set removably at the end of themold to prevent rapid solidifying of the portion of the metal in contacttherewith, and a plunger directed toward the plug and adapted to beforced through the central part of the metal on removal of the plug,substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this Bid day ofFebruary, A. D.1800.

THOMAS JAMES. \Vitnesses:

THOMAS W. Bannwnnn, II. M. CORWIN.

